Members of the Mango Gang, including
Allen Susser (left) and Mark Militello, will
cook during events at this year’s Boca Bacchanal.
Photo provided
List of Boca Bacchanal Events
By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley
The Mango Gang is back in town just in time for the ninth Annual Boca Bacchanal, March 18 through 20.
The original gang — chefs Allen Susser, Mark Militello, Douglas Rodriguez and Norman Van Aken — flavored Florida’s agricultural wealth with Caribbean, Cuban and Latin American influences to create their signature Floribbean cuisine.
“These great chefs had the vision and talent to utilize our fresh local produce, the bounty from Florida’s waters and the influences of our geography and rich cultural mix to create a unique style of cooking,” says Debbie Abrams, president of the board of the Boca Raton Historical Society, which will benefit from this fundraiser.
The gang promoted their creations in the 1980s when regional American cooking was just becoming trendy.
“The food made sense in Florida’s weather. It was simple, light and used local ingredients that many of today’s chefs are just discovering 25 years later,” says Militello, who was owner of the eponymous Mark’s Place in North Miami when the Mango Gang ruled. He also had restaurants at Mizner Park and CityPlace.
And it was these chefs who earned Florida its chops in the culinary world.
“Before we came along and started to work together and collaborate, there was no food scene in South Florida. There was no forward-looking, innovative cooking or anything to put the area on the map,” Susser says.
Thanks to the efforts of these chefs and those they influenced, South Florida took its rightful place in the culinary world, where it has remained ever since.
Chefs, vintners paired
The bacchanal weekend features intimate dinners prepared by these chefs and those they influenced, as well as a blowout auction held during a dinner at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, and a chance to sample dishes from local restaurants served under a tent in Mizner Park.
On the chef roster for the weekend is Militello (restaurant consultant, Pompano Beach), Susser (Chef Allen’s, Aventura), Rodriguez (D. Rodriguez Cuba and Ola Miami, Miami Beach), Robbin Haas (Gulf Coast Kitchen at the Montauk Yacht Club Resort, New York; and Bistro Cinq, Antigua, Guatemala), Oliver Saucy (Darryl & Oliver’s Café Maxx, Pompano Beach) and Cindy Hutson (Ortanique on the Mile, Coral Gables; and Ortanique Grand Cayman).
The chefs will be showcased when the Bacchanal kicks off March 18 with six Vintner Dinners. Each pairs one of the guest chefs with a wine producer and a theme such as “Chef Oliver’s Culinary French Kiss” or “Bubbles d’Cuba!”
“We give great attention to how we match the chefs with the vintners so that each complements the other’s distinctive style,” says Chris Kearney of event partner Republic National Distributing Co. “The result is an amazing collaboration,” adds Kearney who is also the Bacchanal’s wine advisory chairman.
Boca homes
host dinners
Participating wineries include Fess Parker Winery & Vineyards of Santa Barbara, Calif.; Champagne Taittinger and Maison Louis Jadot, both of France; and Spring Mountain Vineyard, ZD Wines and Hall Winery, all of Napa Valley.
What makes this event even more special is that the five-course meals paired with fine wines are prepared and served to small groups in luxurious Boca Raton homes.
“People love hosting this event because they get to have great chefs in their kitchens,” says event spokeswoman Carla Marsh.
The chefs enjoy the evening, too. “This is my third time to the big dance,” Saucy says. “When you do a private party like this, it’s pure satisfaction right there. There’s no place to hide.”
March 19 the Boca Raton Resort & Club is hosting the Bacchanal & Auction. The event begins with the Taittinger Chef’s Reception during which Champagne will be served with bites prepared by Rodriguez, Saucy, Hutson and Haas.
Guests can take time from their sipping to bid in a silent auction.
The reception is followed by a dinner prepared by chefs Militello and Susser under the auspices of the resort’s executive chef Andrew Roenbeck.
Chitchat will be kept to a minimum as diners concentrate on bidding in a live auction during the meal.
Auction lots include items such as a week-long stay at Villa Bernardi in Tuscany. The holiday for eight guests includes private wine tastings at Chianti classico wineries.
The Bacchanal wraps up March 20 with a Grand Tasting under a tent in Mizner Park.
Thirty area restaurants, including City Fish Market and Casa D’ Angelo, both of Boca Raton; and Lola Delray, Delray Beach, will provide samples of their menus with 140 wines being poured.
“We are keeping some details under wraps at this point,” says Bacchanal & Auction co-chairman Stephanie Miskew. “But … I can tell you this will be one of the most … heralded food
and wine events in the country.”
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